Broken Pipes and Leaking Water in El Paso Could Drive Up Water Bills

According to El Paso Water officials, an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 homeowners are grappling with broken pipes across El Paso City.

El Paso Water Utility officials are sensitizing those that may be concerned about rising water bills due to leakage by stating that they will work hand in hand to readjust their water bills. Moreover, in November 2016 El Paso Water officials announced they want to increase water and sewage rates by 7%. Read more about it on elpasotimes.com.

El Paso Water Utilities Vice President of Business Operations and Finance, Nick Costanzo, said that the Utility is formulating effective ways of dealing with the issue, whether the freeze occurs each 30 years in El Paso City.

Costanzo continued to say that they will fortify their systems, invest substantial sums to back up generation, see to it that telecommunication never freezes at low temperatures.

The Utility officers recognized that they were not in a position to ascertain that the reservoirs were getting way below the required levels on Saturday, since power outages devastated the piece of equipment that alerts them when the levels fall below the recommended threshold.

Billiew noted that they were unable to see and the Utility leaders dispatched workers to check out the reservoirs. But because most of them were situated in high mountain regions and frozen environment, it was impossible to gauge the dangerously low levels. It is good to say, if you have permanent problems with frozen pipes in the winter, you should consider to hire a local plumbing company. It is highly possible, there is something wrong with your plumbing system.

El Paso Water utilizes the months of January, February and December as a hallmark to gauge winter usage. However, Costanzo assured residents that they would see to it that the extreme weather condition does not influence rates. He said that due to the situation manifested in February, they would make use of historical averages when determining average winter usage to ensure it does not affect water and sewerage bills in future.

Costanzo observed that the power outages amplified the situation. He said with over 20,000 people affected; there was no opportunity to get prepared since they’ve never witnessed outages of that scale.

No one orchestrated or anticipated a record 50% of electricity to go off. It was history in El Paso City. Utility officials shrugged off any blame saying they acted enough considering the circumstances.

Costanzo went ahead to explain that a group of residents didn’t think they recovered fast enough because they experienced 3 days of freezing water. He also went on to point out that some of their employees have not seen their loved ones in more than 4 days because they are working to get things up and running.

Water restrictions that came from El Paso Water and began on Saturday, February 5 in the Afternoon were lifted at around 10 pm. On Monday after the empty reservoirs were refilled to the required level, residents were urged to spare irrigation up to Saturday to make sure reservoirs stay filled.

The limitation was stipulated to last only 24 hours, but an indefinite extension order was announced. The water restriction required residents refrain from activities like using laundry machines, dishwasher, washing cars, or any equipment that consumes lots of water. Hospitals and emergencies facilities were the only entities spared the restriction.

Mayor John Crook, on Sunday, pronounced an emergency of water in relation to the city’s code title 15.13.120 that entitles El Paso Water Utilities to put in place water restrictions should the need arise. EPWU officials released a statement saying that all entities complied with the restriction.

Schools and Universities, which closed shops Wednesday to Thursday the previous week due to blackouts and pathetic road conditions as a result of bad weather, were also shut down Monday due to water shortage. Tuesday was the date set for reopening for schools, universities, and government institutions.